FBI tells Oregon refuge occupiers to leave as authorities set up roadblocks

BURNS - Law enforcement officers set up roadblocks Tuesday night around the headquarters of the occupied Malheur National Wildlife Refuge hours after one of the takeover's top spokesmen was killed and other leaders were arrested on a highway out of town.

FBI officials told those still at the compound, about 30 miles southeast of Burns, that they were free to leave and should do so. By midnight, few people appeared to have taken up the offer and the lights were still on.

Authorities provided no information about the roadblocks, but have scheduled a news conference for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in Burns.

Only a few people had left, said Gary Hunt, who arrived Sunday from California to support the occupation. "The rest have decided they're going to hold their ground," he said.

Hunt -- a board member of Operation Mutual Defense, a network of militias and patriot sympathizers - left the headquarters late Tuesday and talked to The Oregonian/OregonLive while parked six miles from the refuge.

Among those still there was Ammon Bundy's wife, Lisa. She told those at the compound that she took a call from her husband after his arrest and he described some of what happened.

Hunt said there was confusion among those remaining at the compound and he wasn't certain who was providing leadership.

The protesters anticipate that law enforcement will take action against them, he said. "They've got their observers out," he said.

In recent days, it looked as if about 40 people were staying in the buildings, including women and children.

Occupiers and supporters have traveled freely in and out of the headquarters and to Burns. Police have kept a low profile in the refuge area since Ammon Bundy and a small band of armed followers took over the compound on Jan. 2 to protest the federal arson sentences of two local ranchers and government land-use policies.

Police had blocked the primary route into the refuge - two-lane Sod House Lane - about a quarter-mile west of the refuge entrance. A large front-end loader sat across the road, with other police vehicles parked on the shoulders.

All had their lights off, creating an eerie scene out on the high desert with a nearly full moon.

The roadblock could be seen from the refuge compound and especially from the fire tower where the occupiers have posted around-the-clock lookouts.

The compound sits in a bowl beside Sod House Lane and includes office buildings, shops, a bunkhouse and a museum.

With Ammon Bundy and other leaders under arrest, it was unclear who was left to lead the occupation. Blaine Cooper and Jason Patrick, two of those involved in the original occupation and who have been active in leadership, were part of the contingent still at the refuge.

Patrick said early Tuesday evening that the atmosphere at the refuge was calm as people digested news of the arrests during a highway stop 20 miles north of Burns on the way to a community meeting in John Day. Robert "LaVoy" Finicum was shot and killed by police, authorities said.

Patrick said those at the refuge were preparing to defend themselves for a "peaceful resolution," but wouldn't elaborate.

The sister-in-law of one of the people still in the refuge told The Oregonian/OregonLive that her relative wanted to leave the compound because several occupiers were preparing an aggressive stand against police.

The family lost touch with him after he reported he was driving out of the headquarters in his personal vehicle, which the family said contained both long guns and hand guns. It couldn't be established immediately if he had been taken into custody at the checkpoint.

Besides the occupation leaders, self-styled militiamen and patriots have been living at the compound. Cars and trucks carried license plates from Colorado, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico and California. A Hermiston cowboy joined the group, bringing his horse and putting on a daily parade with an American flag at the compound entryway.

One of the convoys moving around the refuge included police rigs, passenger cars and armored vehicles traveling south on Oregon 205, past the turnoff to the refuge and continuing on the road toward Frenchglen. The convoy could reach the refuge through back roads spidering north from the Diamond area.

Other convoys were reported moving south on Oregon 78 toward Crane, likely heading for the Princeton area and the eastern road to the refuge headquarters.